VenturianTale: The Ultimate Adventure
by TheLoneClone
Summary: After receiving a message from the murderous Jimmy Casket, the Acachalla's go on an adventure with many different people, looking to discover the mystery of the ultimate adventure as described by Jimmy Casket. Rated M for strong violence, language, frightening scenes and content, and blood and gore.
1. The Message

Papa Acachalla cocked his shotgun, Annabelle. He looked over to Gertrude, his wife, cleaning her crowbar. "Gertrude, are you ready?" he asked. The red-headed woman nodded. Papa stood, filling his pockets with shotgun shells. Well, that is, except the one holding the bottle of root beer.

He and Gertrude were called to meet a man behind a movie theater. But the two were going prepared: the alley behind the theater was known to be lurking with murderers and pickpockets, ready to strike at any moment. Before they left, Papa grabbed his holster holding his revolver and its bullets. After telling the kids that they were going out, the two left.

In about a half hour, they reached the alley, and got out of the Acachalla family junker. They slammed the doors (which only shut partly, by the way), and walked to the dark area. "Uh, hello?" Papa called, aiming his shotgun into the alley. A laugh came from the alley. "Oh, no need for that, Papa Acachalla," the voice, a young one, called. Papa lowered the shotgun. "Who ARE you?" Papa called back. "Oh, that's easy," he said, stepping out, a knife in hand. "My name is Jimmy Casket. And I'm gonna put ya, in a casket!" he cackled wildly. "Uh, Gertrude, I think we'd better get out of here," Papa said, stepping back. "I think you're right," Gertrude agreed, hightailing to the car.

As they ran, Jimmy started to pick up his pace, stepping to the car. "Come on, Acachalla, I just gotta tell you something," he said, laughing. "I want to hear no, zero, N-O secrets, Casket!" Acachalla called to the teenager. "What? I'm not going to tell you a secret, Acachalla," he said, lowering his knife. "I've got a message." Acachalla stopped, stepping forward. "What message?" he asked. "Oh, nothing much, just an…adventure," Casket replied, a smile curling on his lips. "What adventure?" Papa shot back. "The ultimate adventure, Papa. The ultimate adventure."


	2. Tamriel

Sally tossed up a piece of waffle, catching it in her mouth. "The eleventh one, Billy!" she squealed happily. Billy groaned, stuffing a piece of his waffle into his mouth. "Yipee," he said slowly. "Billy," Sally said, "I need another waffle." Billy facepalmed. "You've already had EIGHT full waffles, Sally! You don't need any more!" Sally's eyes started to turn black. Billy quickly raised a hand. "Okay, okay, you can have another!" As Sally went to get a waffle, she stopped.

"Maybe Slender'll want a waffle or two," she said thoughtfully, stepping happily towards the phone, ready to call her boyfriend, Slenderman. Billy shot to his feet. "N-no, Sally! I-I talked to Slender already! He isn't hungry," he pleaded, as his sister's boyfriend scared the heck out of him. She put the phone down. "Oh, okay." Billy silently said "Yes" as he walked back to his seat, only to have a knock on the door alert him to stand again. He went to the door and opened it, seeing a pale-skinned and black-haired young man at the door. "Eh, excuse me, Billy Acachalla?" he asked. Billy nodded.

The man cleared his throat. "My name is Johnny Toast, Paranormal Investigator Extraordinaire. I'm looking for my partner, Johnny Ghost. Have you seen him?" he asked. Billy thought for a moment, and then shook his head. "Nope, sorry," he replied. "Drats," Toast exclaimed, swinging a fist into the air. He turned to Billy. "Thanks for the help, son," he replied in his British accent. Billy nodded. "No problem." After Toast walked away, Sally shot up. "I've got something to say to that guy!" she exclaimed. Billy spun around. "What?! Have you seen Johnny Ghost?" he asked. She shook her head. "No, no. I just wanted to tell him he should have his name changed." She turned back to her waffles as Billy simply groaned.

* * *

The Dark Elf woman swung her short sword, catching the dummy in the side. She pulled her weapon out, swinging again, this time taking the dummy's arm off. "Nice one," a voice sounded behind her. She spun around, catching sight of the First Dragonborn, Miraak. "Oh, it's only you, Miraak," she sighed. "Calm down, Vahl. Ever since that time when Sofie hadn't come back for a few days, you've been all jumpy. Believe me, Vahl, Areum and Poet'll keep an eye on her."

Vahl nodded, knowing that her mentor was right. She then went back to practicing with the dummy. Miraak smiled under his golden helmet, which he was named for. He turned, walking to the lab where Poet, the group's tinkerer, worked. Inside the room was Poet's boyfriend, Areum, and his cousins, Sofie and Ma'isha. Gaelan, Vahl's twin brother, was also in the room, watching over his nieces. Miraak removed his helmet, and therefore revealed the face of his real self, named Fenrik; however, the group still called him by his other name, Miraak. As the group talked, little did they know that they would all be in a different world very soon.


	3. The Final Adventurers

The red-head girl drew the final heart she needed to complete all of her shirts' upgrades. All of Maddie-Friend's shirts now had 'I 3 Billy' on them. She squealed in excitement. "Hopefully he'll sign one of them today!" she happily said. She began to stuff all of the shirts into some bags she had; she was bringing _all_ of them to the Acachalla family house.

As she left the house, she turned to shut the door, and then felt a tap on the shoulder. She spun around, seeing a boy with glasses, a Star Trek shirt, and a toy Star Trek phaser in his pocket. "What do you want, Spencer?" she asked impatiently. "I want nothing, you absolute nerd!" he yelled, his lisp changing some of the words his spoke. "The Mighty Spence can get anything he wants! How could you not know that, you absolute nerd!" he continued yelling. She sighed. "Okay, okay. Just tell me where Billy is," she said. Spencer pointed a finger at Maddie. "One does not simply ask for something from the Mighty Spence and get it without giving him something, you absolute nerd!" he yelled back.

Maddie scratched her head. "I thought you said you had everything." Spencer groaned. "No one has everything, you nerd!" he said slowly. "But you just said you did!" she yelled back. Spencer facepalmed. "Do you not know a bit of sarcasticness when you hear it, you absolute nerd?" She sighed. "Okay, okay, what do you want?" she asked. Spencer grinned. "Go get me an autograph from Leonard Nimoy," he laughed. She looked at him sideways. "Leonard who?" she asked. His mouth dropped open. "You do not know who Leonard Nimoy is?!" he exclaimed. She shook her head. "No." He groaned. "He played Spock in the original 1966 Star Trek television series, how could you not know that, you absolute NERD?!" he yelled. She sighed. "Fine, fine, I'll go get an autograph from Sprock," she said, turning. He raised a fist in the air. "It is SPOCK, you absolute nerd!"

* * *

Maddie returned to where Spencer stood. "Finally!" he exclaimed. "It took you like, um, a couple of hours, you absolute nerd!" Maddie sighed, tired from working. "Well, he does have a busy schedule, Spencer," Maddie sighed. Spencer, completely ignoring her comments, grabbed the autographed paper. "Ah, yes, finally!" he exclaimed. "I have Spock's autograph!" Maddie tapped her wrist, as if tapping a watch. "Okay, okay, I did what you wanted. Where is Billy?" she asked. Spencer shrugged. "I dunno, I don't stalk him like some people do," he said.

She gaped at Spencer in awe. "You don't know where he is?!" she yelled. "I spent hours looking for the actor of Spork!" Spencer's eyes started to glare evilly at Maddie. "It...is...SPOCK!" he yelled back. "Spock, I tell you! It is SPOCK, you absolute NERD!" Maddie completely ignored Spencer's insults as she walked off, shaking her head.

* * *

The red-headed girl fired her specialized weapon, the Jayhawk. The raider tumbled to the ground, his hunting rifle sprawled on the ground with tons of bullets. "Nice one, Cywren," the woman's ally, Timebomb, smiled. "That one's not going anywhere!" Cywren smiled herself. "Thanks, Timebomb," she said, lowering her revolver. Cywren Caster's other ally, a dog named Quasar, bounded up to the smart escapee of Vault 101. She laughed, rubbing the dog's chin. "I'll take that as a compliment too, Quasar," she said after the dog barked excitedly. Like the people in Tamriel, these three unsuspecting adventurers would soon be in an unknown world.

* * *

The police officer fired his water pistol, catching the crow in the left wing. "Ow! Watch it!" the bird yelled, flying up. The officer, Maloney, smirked as he lowered the pistol. "No can do, pal. You're wanted for," he said, before a frown appeared on his face. He quickly pulled out a slip of paper, which unfolded into a huge list of crimes. "Flying on a restricted airway...pecking a restricted tree...um, eh, dropping a _payload_ on a restricted statue," the officer read them. He chuckled, looking at the bird. "You, sir, have a _lot_ of crimes on your tab."

At a small home, a woman (resembling Papa Acachalla) sat by her newly-wed husband, the Rake. Visiting was the Rake's best friends, Jeff the Killer and Slenderman, Sally's boyfriend. Jeff grinned evilly, drawing his knife. He suddenly lifted his eyes to Sally Betty Jessica's face. "Hey, she doesn't match us all that well," he said. "Maybe we should, uh, _fit_ her in. Waddya say, Slendy?" he cackled. Slender, the most intelligent of the group, shook his head. "Um, I'd rather not, Jeff," he said. Jeff frowned. "Why not, ya baby? Scared?" he asked. Slender positioned his blank face to look at Sally Jessica's face. "Actually, yes. I'd be scared if _anyone_ made that face scarier than how it is now."

In another part of the town, Johnny Ghost, after switching from his Casket form, ran, the French voice called out. "Come on, Mister Ghost! Don't run away!" she called. Ghost panted, afraid of the young French ghost girl Amii. Ghost looked around. "Stay away, Amii! I haven't done _anything_ to deserve this!" he yelled. A young laugh sounded. Ghost turned and ran past a building. As he turned the corner, he switched to his third and final form, a young boy under the name of Gregory. But that made his conditions even worse. "Gregory?" a voice shouted. The small boy looked around. "Huh? Who said that!" he demanded. A laugh sounded from the alley behind Gregory. "Oh, don't worry, Gregory," the voice added, soon being known to belong to a lifeless cardboard person. "Don't worry...I'm your friend, Gregory."


	4. Strange New World

Billy opened the door to the Acachalla household. "Papa! Mama! You're home!" he happily exclaimed. "Papa! Did you bring waffles?" Sally asked from behind her older brother. Papa groaned. "Gertrude! Fix Sally some waffles!" he yelled. Gertrude groaned herself. "Okay, okay," she said. As Gertrude fixed the waffles, Papa plopped down into his recliner. "Papa," Billy said, moving to his father's chair.

Papa grunted a noise which seemed to be a "yeah". Billy climbed onto the arm of the lounge chair. "Um...this guy...I think he's name was Jimmy Toast, said-," he started before Sally walked up. "No, no, no, Billy, it's not Jimmy Toast. It's Julie Toast," she smiled. Billy frowned. "It was a _guy_, Sally, not a woman!" he exclaimed. "But, this guy, Toast, was looking for a man named Johnny Ghost, and-," he continued before Papa cocked his head to Billy. "Wait...Johnny Ghost?" he asked. Billy nodded. Papa snapped his fingers. "That's it! Ghost was Casket, and Toast looked for Ghost - or Casket," he said, confusing himself. Sally looked at Papa strangely. "Uh, Papa, you're confusing me," she said. Papa shook his head. "Never mind. Gertrude, Billy, Sally, get ready - we're going on an adventure!"

* * *

Gregory's lower lip trembled. "C-Cardboard Friend...s-stay away from m-me!" he stuttered. The cardboard shape shook it's head. "Oh, no, Gregory! Come to me! I'm your _friend_." Gregory backed into the wall until he could move no more. It seemed as if the cardboard friend would finally capture Gregory. But would that guess be so wrong...

A shot of water hit Cardboard Friend. The seemingly inimate object let out a shriek, running off. Gregory turned, only to see Johnny Toast, carrying a water gun. "Um, excuse me, young boy, but I'm wondering, have you seen my partner, Johnny Ghost, anywhere?" Gregory grinned at Toast. "Oh, Johnny, it's me!" Toast looked skeptically at the young boy. "Oh, no, you're wrong, kid. Mr. Ghost is a bit taller than you," he chuckled. "No, no, no!" Gregory said.

"Wait here." As Toast stayed in his position, Gregory moved behind the wall, stepping out as Johnny Ghost. "Mr. Ghost! Boy, am I glad to see you, sir!" he exclaimed. "I saw this strangest little boy; he kept saying he was you, sir!" Ghost placed a palm on his forehead. "Johnny, that was me!" he said. Toast dropped his jaw in astonishment. "Oh, my apologies, sir! I had no idea-," he started. "No problem, Johnny," Ghost smirked. "It even happens to the best of us." As the two walked on, nine figures materialized in the dark alley...all nine brandishing medieval weapons.

* * *

Maddie finally found Billy. With his whole family. And two Paranormal Investigators. Billy, Papa, Sally, Gertrude, Toast, and Ghost had all gotten together and where about to start their journey. Ghost stood still. "Come on, mister! We came to go on an adventure, not stand still like idiots!" Papa yelled. Ghost raised up a hand. "Calm down, Acachalla." Papa grunted as he folded his arms across his chest. "Billy!" Maddie excitedly shouted. "Wha-?" was all Billy got out until Maddie was on him, wrapping arms around his neck.

"Uh, Maddie-Friend! What are you doing here?" he asked. Maddie pulled away. "Oh, you know, Billy," she said, smiling. Billy groaned as Sally muffled a laugh with her palm. As Maddie turned to talk to Toast and Ghost, Sally tapped Billy on the shoulder. "Billy and Maddie, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-," she started. "Shut up, Sally!" Billy exclaimed. The boy's younger sister giggled louder. "Um, Mr. Ghost?" Maddie asked. Johnny Ghost looked down at her. "Yes, Maddie?" he replied. Her eyes widened. "Y-you know my name?" she asked. Ghost grinned. "Of course! You're coming with us," he said. Billy's eyes shot up. "Wait...what? _Maddie_ is coming with us?!" he exclaimed. Ghost nodded. Billy groaned as he sank down.

* * *

Maloney fired his water pistol at the target, marking it right in the middle. "Bullseye!" a voice sounded behind him. Maloney spun around, seeing seven people behind him. "W-who are _you_!" he asked. One of the men, with pale skin and black hair, smiled. "My name is Johnny Toast. These are my companions. We are here to recruit you," he said, looking over at a cage. "And that bird." The officer looked at the metal cage holding the black crow, dubbed the Bird. Simple.

"HIM?!" Maloney exclaimed. Toast nodded, grinning. "Once again, bullseye!" he said. Maloney sighed. "Okay, okay. What for, though?" he asked. Ghost stepped forward. "You are both going on an adventure, sir. A very long adventure." Maloney looked at Ghost, grinning. "With this?" he asked, holding up his plastic water gun. Ghost shook his head. "Oh, no. With _this_," he said, holding up a .32 caliber pistol. Maloney smiled, taking the silver gun. "Thank you, Mr. Ghost," he said. Ghost nodded. "No problem." Maloney turned around, snapping on his .32 and its holster. "Okay, Bird, let's get going," he said, opening the Bird's cage. The small black crow jumped out. "Yes! Finally, something _fun_ to do!" it happily said.

* * *

Cywren looked around, Timebomb and Quasar beside her. "What happened?" her male companion asked, rubbing the back of his head. Cywren shook her head. "I'm not sure," she said. Timebomb stood, helping Cywren up. The three had just experienced a strange explosion-type thing, knocking them both out and teleporting them. Timebomb looked around. "I don't think we're in the wasteland anymore," he said. Cywren smirked. "Me either." She secretly had a crush on her ally, who also had one on her as well, although the two were far from admitting it.

Quasar stood, letting out a cough. Cywren reached over and rubbed her dog's head. She picked up her black eyeglasses that belonged to the deceased Jonas, rubbing the dirt from the lenses. She then proceeded to place the glasses on her head. Suddenly, a ringing sound started to flow through the three companions' ears. "Do you hear that?" Cywren asked. Timebomb nodded. The two looked to a box marked 'TELEPHONE'. The two stepped to it, Timebomb opening the door. Cywren stepped inside, fumbling with the strange machine inside. She then pulled it from the rack. A voice sounded through it. "Hello?! Cywren Caster?" the voice asked. Cywren nodded. "Yes...and this is?" The voice laughed. "Oh, forgive me, miss. My name is Johnny Ghost. I am the one who brought you here," he said. Cywren looked skeptically at the glass. "Why?!" she exclaimed. "Hold on, hold on, let me tell you something: just go down to the corner and turn left down the sidewalk, and then walk into the building marked 'TARGET PRACTICE'," he said. "Got it?"? he asked. Cywren nodded. "Yeah." The voice sounded happy. "Good. Bye," was all Ghost said.


	5. The Adventure Begins

Ghost walked towards an alley to be alone for a bit. "Mr. Ghost?" a voice said. Ghost groaned. "Aimee...not again!" he said. He silently turned into Jimmy **Casket**, and spun around, being face to face with the French girl, who was a bit shorter than he was. "Oh, Aimee, if I was you, I'd turn around right now and get the heck outta here!" Casket threatened. Aimee's face looked a little sad. "Oh, now, Mr. Ghost, I know you wouldn't do that!" she said. Casket's eyes shrunk. "What? I'm not Johnny Ghost! My name is Jimmy Casket!" he yelled. Aimee stepped closer to Casket. "Oh, I know you're "secret", Mr. Casket!" she said, her voice beginning to grow more seductive.

"What do you want, Aimee!" **Casket** demanded. Aimee stood on the tips of her toes, right in front of Casket. "Oh, just to...join you," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. Now, Casket looked more afraid than menacing. He couldn't go anywhere - a wall was right behind him. "N-now listen here, A-Aimee! I'm not taking y-you with me, understand!" he said, trying to sound firm. She leaned in closer, slowly closing the gap in between the two. "Oh, don't say that, Mr. Ghost!" she said happily, finally being close to him. As Casket felt her breath on him, he closed his eyes, knowing there was no escape. "Mr. Ghost?!" a British voice called.

Casket turned his head to see Toast standing there, frozen in shock. "Johnny! Give me a hand over here, dammit!" Casket yelled. Toast nodded, darting for Aimee. The French girl back off, and ran away, not wanting to face off against two of them. "Are you okay, sir?" Toast asked. Casket nodded. "Yeah," he replied. Toast stepped back in realization of Ghost now being Casket. "Sir, just...just calm down, okay, sir?" he said. "Toast...don't worry, I won't hurt you," Casket said, wanting to calm down his partner.

Toast nodded. "O-okay, Ghost," he said, turning around. The two walked out of the alley. Maloney turned around, and was surprised to see Toast with a wanted murderer. "Toast! Get outta there!" he yelled, aiming his pistol. Toast raised his hands. "Hold it, hold it, don't shoot! It's Mr. Gh-," was all Toast got out before Maloney fired a bullet towards Casket's position. The murderer took a dive forward, turning it into a roll. Toast gritted his teeth as he looked towards the police officer. "For the love of...stop it, now, Maloney!" he yelled back. Maloney ignored Toast's orders, firing off two **more** bullets. Casket's eyes turned blood red as he looked at the attacking officer.

He darted for Maloney, knife in hand. "You are gonna PAY!" he roared. Maloney looked on in fear, but fired again, this time hitting Casket in the arm. The murderer shouted, "Drop the gun! I'm on your side!" The Bird walked up, pecking Maloney's foot. "Eh, I say kill 'em!" he said. Maloney smiled. "As I was saying!" he laughed. Toast stood firmly. "Drop. The. Gun," he yelled. Maloney shook his head. "Sorry, Mr. Toast, but no murderer is gonna be with us!" he said. Toast swung a fist upward, catching Maloney in the gut. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Maloney grunted in pain, grasping his stomach.

Toast pointed at the officer. "I told you to drop it," he panted. Maloney roared in a shout, slamming a fist into Toast's face, knocking the British man into a blue **recycling bin**. Casket pounced, tackling Maloney to the ground. Papa looked in awe as the three punched and kicked, knocking one to the ground with each motion as the Bird flew over the small scuffle, avoiding being trampled or rolled on. The oldest of the Acachalla's ran in, pulling Casket off of the officer, pushing him against the wall. "Stop it, all of you!" Gertrude yelled. "We're on the same team!" she continued, placing her hands on her hips. Sally yawned, grabbing a waffle from her bag. "I'm gonna have lunch," she said. Billy looked at Sally. "We just had lunch!" he exclaimed. Sally shrugged. "Oh, well I'll eat dinner," she said, biting into the waffle.

As the men continued to fight, Gertrude felt a hand on her shoulder. "Um, excuse me, ma'am?" a young man's voice said. Gertrude shrieked, grabbing the hand and flipping the man onto his back. "Ow! What the heck?!" he yelled. "Oh, whoops!" she said, smiling. She laughed a fake laugh. "Eh, I'm sorry!" she said. A red-headed girl walked up. "Um, my name is Cywren **Caster**. This is Timebomb, and this is my dog, Quasar," she said, pointing to the dog below her, although he was level now to the downed Timebomb. The armored man stood, rubbing his back. "Puppy dog!" Billy happily exclaimed, running and hugging the dog. "Billy! Be careful!" Gertrude said. Cywren chuckled. "Don't worry, he won't hurt you!" she said.

As the newcomers and the Acachalla's conversed, the men soon finished up fighting. "Uh, when did this guys come here?" Papa asked. "Oh, just when you fella's where slamming each other into the walls and ground," Gertrude smiled. Ghost, who had transformed in the end of the fight (that caused it to end), walked up, smiling. "Cywren **Caster**," he said, sticking his hand out. "Johnny Ghost, Paranormal Investigator Extraordinaire," he said. Cywren took his hand, shaking it. "Hello," she said. "What is the reason for bringing me, Timebomb, and Quasar here?" she asked. Before Ghost could say, a voice behind him boomed, "For an adventure, Cywren." All heads turned and saw a man who they all had not intended to see; the grown adopted "daughter" of the Acachalla's, Sue: The Suckish Officer. "Sue?" Sally asked, bounding off to her "sister".


	6. Family

Sue had explained how he had heard of the adventure. According to the soldier, Chakalata Soup, a chef at a local **Olive Garden**, had told him of a group of people heading off on an adventure. When he had heard his new family was also going on the adventure, Sue couldn't pass it up. And here he was, ready to join the adventure of the group. "Speaking of adventures, I saw a couple of people back there, all with medieval weapons," he said. Ghost stood. "Nine of them?" he asked. Sue chuckled. "Well, now that 'ya mention it, yeah, there were nine of 'em!" he said.

Ghost smiled. "Ah, they've arrived!" he happily said. As the ghost hunter walked back, Papa rushed up to him. "Who do you mean by 'they'?" he asked. "Oh, you'll see." As the group of thirteen walked on, they continued to talk about the adventure. Soon, they arrived at an alley, where, **indeed**, nine people with bladed weapons and bows sat. One of them, a young man with a bow and sword, jumped to his feet when the thirteen walked around the corner. "Who are you!?" he yelled. Maloney put out his hands. "Woah, son! Calm down!" he said. The small black crow walked beside him. "Yeah! Listen to the copper, moron!" he cawed. A young girl stood, looking around the age of twelve.

"W-why did you bring us here?" she asked. Ghost chuckled. "You're going on...an adventure," Ghost smiled. The younger man laughed. "Well, we could go on an adventure any day back in Tamriel," he said. Billy stepped up. "Wait...Tamriel? As in Skyrim?" he asked. The nine nodded. Billy smiled. "I know you all!" he said. Ghost smiled himself. "As do I. Vahl. Farkas. Poet. Areum. Sofie. Ma'isha. Miraak. Gaelan. Frea." The nine looked in awe. "How do you...?" Vahl asked. Ghost smiled. "I have some...contacts," he said. Miraak looked around, and caught sight of Cywren. "Are you...Cywren **Caster**?" he asked. Cywren took a step back, nodding. "Yes...do I know you?" Miraak pulled off his golden helmet. "Poet...come here, quickly!" he said, motioning for the red-headed girl to run up. "Yes, Miraak?" she asked.

Miraak pointed to Cywren. "Poet, this is your...ancestor," he said, looking down at his daughter figure. Poet looked at Cywren strangely, to which Cywren returned the glance. "Ancestor?" they both asked at the same time. Miraak nodded. "Poet, **well**...in the future, you sprout off offspring with Areum," he started, to which Poet blushed, "And, then, down the line, in comes Cywren," he finished. Poet looked at Cywren. Poet stepped up. "Um...hello," she said, smiling. Cywren returned the smile, waving. "Well, this is...awkward," Cywren said. Poet nodded. "Kinda weird to see an...older ancestor younger, isn't it?" she chuckled. Cywren nodded. But before the two could get to know the other anymore, gunshots rang out. All heads turned that direction, the ones with weapons pulling them out. Ghost looked on in horror. "We've gotta get outta here...NOW!" he yelled. He and Toast darted off, the others following. Papa risked a glance behind, catching sight of a platoon of white armored Combine soldiers.

* * *

Ghost was the first at the door. "Carson? Are you there?" he asked. The door opened slowly as a young man, in his early twenties, opened the door. "Oh, good to see you, sir!" he said. "Come in, quickly!" he added, pulling open the door. Strapped to his side was a small handgun, an assault rifle on his back. All of the group ran in as the guard shut the door. "Carson, are the others here?" he asked. Carson nodded. "Yes, sir. They're here, and all of our men are fully armed." Ghost smiled. "Good. All of you, come with me," he said, darting off. The group followed their leader, Toast staying behind to watch the door with Carson. With all of those Combine coming, he may need a hand.

"Papa, I **think** you know these here," Ghost said, pointing into a room. The Acachalla's entered the room first, coming across four people seated at a couch. "Slender!" Sally happily said, bounding to her boyfriend. The young creature stood. "Sally!" he said as the smaller girl jumped into his arms. Papa froze when he saw the next one. "Oh no...not Sally Betty Jessica!" he exclaimed. "Hey, don't forget us," a voice said behind Sally Jessica. Shortly, Jeff the Killer and the Rake moved from the couch. "Oh, great!" Gertrude groaned. "Now we have four monsters to deal with!" she said. Ghost chuckled to himself. "Alright, guys, let me show you around," he said, leading the group around their base.

After showing them tons of vacant rooms, an armory filled with gear, a cafeteria, and a lounge, Ghost stopped. "Okay, now for the biggest thing," Ghost said. The others stopped. "Now, to introduce you to..._our_ army!" he said, pushing the doors open. Inside the room stood hundreds of armed soldiers, all wearing blue jumpsuits or jackets, bearing tons of different rifles, pistols, grenades, rocket launchers, and submachine guns. "This is what we will use to face off against the oncoming Combine," he said. Papa stepped closer. "That's another thing," he said. "Why _are_ all of the Combine coming after us?" he asked. Ghost sighed. "Becauase I have...this," he said, shoving out a small crystal. "And that is?" Papa asked. Ghost put the crystal back into his pocket. "This crystal will **complete** the ultimate weapon for the Combine to unleash, destroying tons of innocent lives. Therefore I, with some help, stole the crystal, causing them to come after us," he explained. Papa nodded. "I see. And why did you choose us?" he asked. Ghost laughed. "Because, you guys are known to be headstrong, brave...reckless," he said. Gertrude shot a look to Ghost. "Hey, not all of you!" he said, raising his hands.

"Sir!" a voice said over the intercom. Ghost ran to an intercom. "Yes, Carson?" he asked. "It's the Combine, sir! They're headed thi way!" he said. Ghost sighed. "Get your weapons ready. We'll be right there," he replied. Ghost turned. "Alright, everyone! This is it: this is war!" he shouted, resulting with a reply of several soldiers' cheers.


	7. The Nuke

Ghost entered the area at the door, where Carson and Toast stood, SMGs in their hands. "Ready, sir?" Toast asked. Ghost nodded. "Yeah. The others are coming now," he said. Soon, Papa, Gertrude, Maloney, Miraak, Farkas, Vahl, and several armed soldiers arrived at the door. "Everyone ready?" Ghost asked. Before anyone could reply, a strong blast knocked all of the people off of their feet, sending several soaring into walls and down hallways. Carson was the first to look, catching sight if Combine soldiers moving through the destroyed doorway.

"Incoming!" he yelled. Several soldiers stood, firing off rounds from their guns as the others got to their feet. Gertrude watched as bullets pummeled into the soldiers, causing blood to splatter onto the walls and floors. "Dammit! There are too many of 'em!" Carson shouted. Ghost fired off from his dual wield pistols, taking down several Combine, covering their crisp white suits in splotches of red blood. "We've gotta evacuate the base! Gertrude, Vahl, Farkas! Get to the others and get them ready. Papa and Carson, get to the vehicles! Miraak, Maloney, and Toast, you're with me! Got it?" Ghost yelled. The others nodded or responded with yes. "Good! Let's do this!" Ghost exclaimed, firing off **more** bullets. The team split up, leaving Ghost, Toast, Miraak, Maloney, and the soldiers to guard the door.

Gertrude, Vahl, and Farkas made it to the others. "I'll watch the door," Farkas said, turning and readying his weapons. Vahl nodded, quicky placing a kiss on Farkas' lips, turning and running off. Sally looked up as Gertrude walked up. "Mommy! Where are the others? What's going on?" she asked. Gertrude looked at Sally. "We're under attack. The others are getting vehicles ready and holding off the bad guys," she explained. Sally nodded. Vahl turned to Sofie. "Sofie, you and Isha stay with Areum and Poet, okay?" she said. Sofie nodded. "Okay, mama!" she said. Vahl smiled, standing up. "Okay, let's move!" she shouted. Sofie and Isha moved to stay with Poet and Areum while Frea, Vahl, and Gertrude led the squads of soldiers. Farkas watched the rear. "Hey, Maddie! This is kinda like Dodgeball, but with bullets!" Billy happily said. "Yeah!" Maddie added. "It is!"

As they kept walking, a soldier's voice rang out. "Grenade!" he yelled as the group took cover behind anything they could find. But that grenade was no ordinary. It blew out the walls, took down about ten soldiers, and caused the roof to collapse. At the end of the crashing tunnel, though, stood a young boy. "Come on, absolute nerds! What are you doing? Do you WANT to die?!" he yelled. "Spencer? Is that you?!" Gertrude called. "Yes, you absolute nerd! Who else would it be?" he **continued**. Spencer sighed, facepalming. "Anyways, follow me, or face utter destruction by the hand of the Klingons!" he said, clenching his fist. "Um, but it's the Combine, kid," a soldier said. "Oh, you nerd! How do you not know I was being sarcastic?!" Spencer yelled.

As the group ran after the boy, they soon made it from the tunnel. "Spencer! You've led us out!" Maddie cried happily, rushing to Spencer, planting a kiss on his cheek and hugging him tightly. "Ew, gross! You absolute nerd! You simply do not grab the Mighty Spence and hug and kiss him!" Spencer exclaimed, pulling away and wiping the area Maddie had kissed him. The girl simply laughed as Spencer rubbed his face. Spencer turned, Maddie, Gertrude, Sally, the Rake, Sally Jessica, and four soldiers following him. "Wait...where are the others? Billy, Slender, and Jeff?" Gertrude asked. Spencer shrugged. "I dunno. But follow me, or you'll end up like those absolute nerds," he said, walking away. The others followed, but saddened by the loss of the three.

* * *

Papa fired his shotgun, causing a bit of blood to fall from the Combine soldier's chest. "Carson! Let's go!" Papa called, jumping into a truck. Carson ran quickly to an RV, starting it up. "Okay!" he called, following Papa as he drove off. The two drove the vehicles until they found the group. "Papa!" Sally called throwing her arms around her father's stomach. Gertrude ran up to, joining the embrace. "Where's Billy?" Papa asked. Gertrude looked down at her feet. "Is he...dead?" he asked. Gertrude slowly nodded as Papa sank back onto the truck.

Meanwhile, the soldiers and the two paranormal investigators held off the oncoming Combine soldiers. "There are too many, sir!" Toast yelled, firing off the last bullet of his rifle. "I know, Toast!" Ghost replied, tossing down his two pistols, also out of ammo. The two searched for weapons from the dead soldiers laying on the metal floor. Ghost snatched up a loaded fully-automatic G18 pistol, firing onto two Combine soldiers. Toast grabbed an M16, raining fire on the approaching enemies. Ghost looked to the doorway behind him. "Toast, get outta here!" he yelled. Toast froze, noticing Ghost was going to stay behind to defend the group. "No can do, sir!" he said. Ghost gritted his teeth. "Toast, do as I say NOW!" he ordered.

Toast sighed. "Sir, you go first, and I'll be right behind you!" he said. Ghost cursed under his breath, darting to his partner. "Listen to me, Toast! Get out of here this instant!" he ordered. Toast nodded slowly. "As you wish...sir," he said, running to the doorway. "Come on, sir! Now!" he yelled. Ghost nodded himself, running to his ally at the door. "Go, go!" The two ran, Ghost occasionally firing off bullets at the Combine behind him. "Keep moving, Johnny!" Ghost yelled. Toast chuckled. "I wasn't planning on stopping, sir!" he replied. The two soon reached the collapsed tunnel. "Think this is where they went?" Ghost asked. Toast nodded. "I wouldn't doubt it, sir." The two manuvered through the rubble, soon discovering the Acachalla's, the Rake, Sally Jessica, and Carson. Toast looked around. "Where are the others? Did they not...make it?" he asked. Papa nodded. Toast shook his head. "I'm sorry," Ghost said. "Sorry?!" Papa shouted. "That's it, sorry?!" he **continued**. "Papa, it's okay," Gertrude said, trying to calm him. "No, it's not! Billy is dead, and it's all his fa-," he got out before he sank down, a dart sticking from his side. The others all looked to Toast, who fired it.

* * *

After going for hours, the group stumbled upon a small town. "Maybe the other's came here," Ghost said, Papa soon coming to. "Let's go," Gertrude said, stepping from the car. Papa, Ghost, Spencer, Gertrude, and Carson all got from the car, ready to search. Ghost turned to Toast. "Toast, keep an eye on the others. We'll be back soon," he said, turning to the others. "Let's move out," he said, leading the others to the town.

Within a few minutes, the group had found Cywren, Timebomb, and Quasar. "Cywren! Are you guys okay?" Ghost asked. Timebomb nodded, and the group looked to Cywren, who seemed to be ignoring them. "Uh, Cywren?" Ghost asked. Timebomb shook his head. "She's been that way since...**well**, look for yourself," he said, pointing to an area. The small group looked, and couldn't believe what they saw - planted in the ground was a huge nuclear bomb...with a timer on it saying 10 minutes until detonation.


End file.
